Miscommunication
by JustShauna
Summary: A Ranebow one-shot inspired by Chapter 23 of CP Coulter's Dalton. Reed has been trying to distract himself from the arrival of a certain visitor. When Kurt forces the two to talk, true feelings are finally unearthed. Fluff fluff and more fluff.


It wasn't that Reed had been trying to avoid him, he'd just been... distracting himself. It was this kind of distraction that Kurt found him buried under when he returned from Blaine's room later that night. He sighed as he removed the various look books in order to find his roommate underneath them.

He had seen the look on Reed's face as his eyes had settled on Micah downstairs and he had noticed the unreasonably quick exit of the young artist. He knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"Reed," Kurt shook the shorter boy gently. "Reed, you need to wake up. You haven't even changed yet. Your clothes are getting creased."

It was this last sentence that made the boy's eyes spring open. He groaned softly.

"I don't care," he grumbled, turning his face over and into his over-stuffed pillow. Kurt attempted to hide his disapproval. They were very nice clothes.

"Reed, you can't mope forever. It is not that bad." No response.

"You never even gave him a chance to explain. Did you ever think that maybe turning and fleeing wasn't the best course of action here?"

The boy remained silent.

"He wants to talk to you, you know."

Reed stirred. He turned his face back to Kurt and this time he was aware of the streaks running down both sides of the boy's face. Kurt's brow furrowed. Those Anderson boys were almost more trouble than they were worth.

"But that's just the thing Kurt," Reed's voice was trembling and quiet. "He doesn't. Not really. And if he does, it'll just be to tell me- to tell me..." Tears began to well in his eyes for the second time that evening and he turned away, ashamed.

Kurt stared at his roommate with one of his trademark incredulous glares.

"Reed Van Kamp. Do you honestly mean to tell me that _this_ is what you've been crying about all evening? That you're scared Shane doesn't _like_ you anymore? Is _that_ what all of this," He gestured to the strewn mess of fashion pages surrounding them. "is about?"

Reed just turned and gave him another sorrowful look. Kurt sighed loudly. "Right. That's it." He stood up and marched determinedly out of their room. Reed stared non plussed at the open door for an entire minute before Kurt reappeared through it with the curly haired dancer in tow.

Reed attempted to right himself on the bed at lightning speed but it was only seconds before he realised he had turned too far and he landed in a tangled mess of silk bedclothes and pages. Shane was there in an instant, his hands untangling the sheets in order to free Reed faster, a smile playing on his lips. It was only when he had freed him and looked back up at his face that the awkwardness fell between them.

"Ummm... Hi." Shane's eyes bore into Reed's and he lowered them quickly. Behind him, Kurt made his swift departure, shutting the door softly behind him.

"Hi." Reed's voice was wrong, cracked and too high pitched. He cringed internally.

"Look, about Micah-"

"I get it. I totally get it. Shane, I'm so happy for you." Shane's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as Reed plastered an unconvincing smile onto his face. "It must be amazing to have Micah back after all this time. What a coincidence that he found you here. But it's great, really. Now you can see each other all the time and I mean, none of us will tell your dad and-" Reed was silenced by a finger on his lips. His heart was thudding at a million miles an hour.

Shane moved his finger away and stared at him again. His eyes, for once, were unreadable, the usual Shane enthusiasm nowhere to be seen.

"You think..." His voice trailed off. He tried again. "You think, that... Micah and I... that we're,"

"Well you've got your boyfriend back, right? It's awesome." Reed's voice was too falsely cheery. He cringed inwardly again. Had he really just used the word awesome?

"Reed. You're babbling. Just... listen to me." Shane took one of his smaller hands in his own, tentatively, almost as if he'd break it.

Reed's pulse shot up again. No, he told himself. You need to stop. It's over now. Not going to happen.

There was silence again in the room for a minute while Shane gathered his thoughts. He took a deep breath and continued.

"Reed Van Kamp, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You need to know this. You need to _believe_ this. I am telling you right now that I couldn't imagine my life without you. Hell, I survived a landslide to come back to you. Don't you realise any of this?" He gave Reed's hand a tentative squeeze. "Don't you know that that isn't going to change?"

Reed's head flung up so fast he could almost hear the vertebrae snap. "But- but Micah," Reed's voice was almost a whisper.

"Micah is my past. Yes, I liked him. Maybe I loved him, who knows? But what I do know, is that everything I ever had with him pales into insignificance when I compare it with just one minute of you."

Reed sat there, stunned. Whatever he had expected, it wasn't this.

The silence grew longer and Shane shifted uncomfortably up onto his knees.

"I've done it again. I'm doing this too fast. You said you needed space. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He loosened his grip on Reed and made to stand up but Reed gripped onto him for dear life. Shane froze. Reed raised his eyes to meet Shane's and he saw they were crying.

"Shane Anderson," Reed whispered, words failing him. "Will you- will you kiss me please?"

Shane's eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. For once, he was lost for words. He searched Reed's face as he moved tentatively closer, almost as if asking permission. Reed looked him square in the eye as if to let him know that permission had already been granted and Shane leaned in even further until his lips were an inch away from Reed's face.

"Are you sure?" He breathed, almost scared to ask the question.

Reed answered by leaning forward and brushing their lips together lightly. That was enough for Shane. He pressed back, letting his hands move from Reed's to touch his face and draw him closer. There was nothing urgent about the kiss, it was sweet and slow and perfect. Every now and then Reed would break away and make an almost inaudible gasp for air before returning his lips to the boy in front of him.

When they finally broke apart, Reed looked up at Shane and couldn't help but return the goofy grin on his face. They both just sat there, memorizing every detail of each other and the moments that were passing.

Like Shane had said, Micah was his past. As he leaned in to hug the beautiful boy in front of him his mouth came up beside his ear and he whispered the words that he hadn't quite managed to get out before. "_You_ are my future."


End file.
